Margin stop for typewriter



Sept. 26, 1961 R. H. MlMLlTCH MARGIN STOP FOR TYPEWRITER Filed Aug. 31,1959 INVENTOR. ROBERT H. MIMLITCH ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,001,629 MARGIN STOP FOR TYPEWRITER Robert H.Mimlitch, Lexington, Ky., assignor to International Business MachinesCorporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 31,1959, Ser. No. 837,178 3 Claims. (Cl. 197-63) This invention relates totypewriters, and more particularly to margin stops for limiting thetravel of a typewriter carriage.

The conventional typewriter is provided with right and left margin stopswhich are engaged with a margin control lever for limiting movement ofthe typewriter carriage at the beginning and end of a line to be typed.The stops are movable to diiferent positions along a margin rackattached to the carriage so the stopping of the carriage may take placeat any desired points. It is sometimes necessary that a typewriter beprovided with a very long carriage, and that support brackets beconnected to the margin rack on such a carriage at points spaced fromeach of its ends. Margin stops may be arranged on the outer end portionsof the margins rack for limiting movement of the carriage when typing onwide record sheets. It is not possible, however, to move these stopsinwardly past the supporting brackets and so, if the stops are to beeffective, the sheet must be wider than the'distance between thesupporting brackets.

By placing on the margin rack between the supporting brackets a stopwhich can be made selectively effective sides of the brackets areconventional margin stops 3 and 4 which are engageable with a margincontrol lever 5 for limiting movement of the carriage in eitherdirection.

The control lever 5 and the mechanism associated therewith for stoppingthe carriage is like that shown and described in Patent 2,872,013 to B.W. Wittwer. It is sufiicient to state here that the lever is providedwith an elongated slot 8 slidably receiving studs 9 (only one beingshown herein) on a tab lever 10. As the carriage moves to the left inFIG. 1, an abutment portion 12 on the stop 4 engages a shoulder 14 onthe control lever and moves the latter to the left until it engages ahook portion 15 on the tab lever, stopping movement of the carriage,When the carriage moves to the right, an abutment portion 16 on the stop3 engages a projecting portion 18 on the control lever 5 and forces thelatter to the right until the left end of the slot 8 engages the stud 9.The movement of the control lever on the studs causes various functionsto take place but it is not necessary that they be discussed here.

Each of the stops 3 and 4 comprises a metal plate 20 which is bent toprovide an end 21 slidably engaging the or ineffective, and using thiswith one of the other stops I to control carriage movement, it ispossible to obtain a stopping of the carriage at margin points whentyping on sheets of any width. The stop between the brackets may begenerally like one of the other stops but having associated with it amember which may operate in one position to cam the margin control leveraway from an abutment surface on the stop when the latter is madeinefiective. By moving the cam member to another position, the abutmentsurface is engageable by the margin lever to stop the carriage.

top of the margin rack 1. At each side of the plate adjacent its end 21is a flange 22 bent over to have sliding engagement with the side of therack. The opposite end of the plate 20 has a flange 24 at each side bentover to engage the side of the rack, and these flanges extend below therack a suflicient distance to engage the control lever 5. Arrangedbetween the lower portions of the flanges 24 and connected thereto as bywelding, is a block 25 having teeth which are engageable with the teeth26 on the rack 1. Pressed from the plate 20 is a lip 28 supportingoueend of a spring 29 which extends between the open upper ends of theflanges 24 and slidably engages the top of the rack 1. The springnormally holds the end of the stop v carrying the block 25 in a raisedposition so the teeth An object of this invention is to provideanimproved I margin stop for a typewriter.

Another object is to provide an improved margin stop which may be madeeither etfective or ineffective.

Still another object is to provide a margin stop having ,7

associated therewith a cam member which is movable either to a positionfor camming a stop element away from an abutment surface on the stop orto a position for exposing the abutment surface to the stop element.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the followingdescription and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,which disclose, by way of example, the principle of the invention andthe best mode, which has been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view of a margin rack having one of theimproved margin stops mounted there- FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectionalview taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the improved margin stopin operative condition.

There is shown in FIG. 1 a margin rack 1 connected at points spaced fromits ends to supporting brackets 2 which are attached to the carriage,not shown, of a typewriter. The carriage is somewhat longer than thatordinarily used to permit typing on Wide record sheets. Conon the blockengage those on the rack. By applying a downward pressure to the top ofthe stop between its ends, the plate 20 swings about its end 21 anddisengages the teeth on the block 25 from those on the rack permit-tingmovement of the stop in either direction along the rack. It is notpossible, however, to move the stops inwardlly beyond the brackets 2 andso another stop 30 is needed when typing on a sheet of paper not as wideas the distance between the brackets.

The stop 30 may be designed to cooperate with either of the stops 3 and'4. As shown herein, it cooperates with the stop 4 and limits movementof the carriage to the right in FIG. 1. Stop 30 is like stops 3 and 4 inthat it includes a plate 20 having an end 21 engaging the top of therack, and flanges 22, 24 engaging the sides of the rack. It alsoincludes a block 25 connected between the flanges 24 and having teethwhich are normally held in engagement with the rack teeth 26 by a spring29. In addition to this, there is provided a member 32 having fingerportions 33 and 34 slidably engaging opposite sides of the rack 1 andconnected to each other by a strap portion 36 extending over the top ofthe rack. The finger portion 33 lies in the same plane as the flange 24at the rear side of the rack and has its free end located close to theedge of the flange as shown in FIG. 3. Member 32 is also provided withan arm portion 38 extending along the rear side of the rack, and thisarm is oflset slightly from the finger 33 so it passes along the side ofthe flange 24. On the upper edge of the arm 38 at its left end is aprojecting portion 39 which is bent forwardly to overlie the rack 1, andthe end 40 of this portion is bent upwardly so an operator may grasp itto manipulate the The right end of the member 32 is shaped at 42 toprovide a surface about which the member may rock on a corner of theflange 22. A spring element 44 is held at one end between the plate 20and the lip 28 and acts at its other end against the lower surface ofthe projecting portion 39 on the arm 38. This spring normally rocks themember 32 about flange 22 to the position shown in FIG. 3. In suchposition, the finger 33 lies.

abovethe lower ends of flanges '24 so they are exposed to the controllever 5. Stop 30 is then eflective to limit movement of the carriage inone direction- When the operator presses downwardly on the left end ofarm 38, the member 32 rocks to a position in whieh the-lower edgeoffinger 33 is in line with the lower end of'fian ge 24. For holding themember in this position, a detenting portion 45 on the arm 38 engagesthe lower edge of one of the flanges 24, as shown in FIG. 2. Stop 30'is. then ineffective since the finger 33 prevents engagement of thecontrol lever with the lower ends of the flanges 24 and the block 25forming the abutment portion of the. stop 30.

When the carriage moves to the right in FIG.1 with the. stop member 32held in its blocking position, the finger 33 acts against the controllever 5 to cam. it and the tab lever downwardlly out of the path of stop30. The carriage may then continue moving .until'the control lever 5 isengaged by the abutment portion ion the stop 3; Control lever 5 and tablever 10 are also cammed down wardlly by stop 34) when the carriagemoves in the opposite direction. To make stop 30 effective, the operatorpresses rearwardlly on the upwarlly 'bent portion 40 of the arm 38 torelease the detenting portion 45 from the flange 24. Spring 44 thenrocks the member 32 upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 3 so theabutment portion of the stop is exposed to the control lever.

While there has been shown in this application one form which theinvention may assume in practice, it will be understood that it may bemodified and embodied in various other forms without departing from thespirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a typewriter carriage and a rack fixed to saidcarriage, of a stop movable to difierent positions along said rack andadjustable to be'eithereffective or ineffective in actuating a controllever for stopping said carriage,'said stop rcompn'sing a stopmemberslid ably mounted on said rack and having an abutment portion engageablewith said control lever during movement of'said carriage for actuatingsaid lever, teeth on said stop member cooperating with teeth on saidrack for holding said stop member in the position to which it is moved,and a member pivotally mounted on said rack and movable along the latterwith said stop member, said pivotally mounted member arranged to pivotbetween v 4 i v a first position exposing said abutment portion forengagement with said control lever and a second position in front ofsaid abutment portion for deflecting said control lever out of its path.

2. The combination with a typewriter carriage of a margin stop adaptedto cooperate with a control lever and adjustable to be either effectiveor inefiective in actuatingsaid'control lever for stopping saidtypewriter carriage comprising, in combination, a stop member'mounted onsaid typewriter carriage and having an abutment portion in a position toengage said control lever during movement of said carriage, a memberpivotally mounted on. said carriage and movable between a first positionexposing said abutment portion for engagement with said control leverand a second position in front of said abutment portion for deflectingsaid control lever out ofits path, a spring normally holding saidpivotally mounted member in said first position, and detent meansoperating on movement of said pivotally mounted member to said secondposition for holding it in such position.

, 3'. The combination with a typewriter carriage of stop 'mcchanismsadapted to cooperate with a control lever for stopping said typewritercarriage at right and left margin points separated from each other anydesired distance comprising, in combination, a margin rack,.support ingbrackets connected between said carriageand said rack at points spacedinwardly from the ends of the latter, stop members adjustably mounted onthe portions of said rack outside said supporting, brackets, each ofsaid stop members having an abutment portion with a surface facing theother member, saidsurfaces engageable with said control lever duringmovement of said carriage for eflFectingv a stopping. of the latter, athird stop member adjustably mounted on the portion of said rack betweensaid brackets, said third stop member having an abutment portion with asurface facing one of said first mentioned stop members and engageablewith said control lever for actuating the latter, and a member pivotallymounted on said rack and movable between a first position exposing thesurface onthe abutment portion of said third stop member for engagementwith said control lever. and a second position in front of the abutmentportion on said stop member for deflecting said control lever out of itspath.

References Cited the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

